Various devices have been developed to provide for the nasal delivery of treatment agents, such as medications or vaccines, to a subject. Aerosol delivery of drugs, vaccines, and other therapeutic, preventative, and diagnostic medical products avoids many of the drawbacks of injection, including need for skilled personnel, risk of blood-borne disease, high cost, patient aversion to injection, and the need to safely dispose of used needles and syringes. However, conventional aerosol delivery devices have significant shortcomings that prevent their widespread use. Such shortcomings include, for example, complicated device construction and operation, high cost of manufacture and use, and external power requirements.
Dry powder inhalers can be an attractive means to administer medications or vaccines since they do not require reconstitution. However, conventional dry powder inhalers have numerous shortcomings that restrict their widespread use and adoption. Accordingly, improvements in dry powder delivery devices are desirable.